Has MLP:FiM experienced Seasonal Rot?

[MangoFoalix 24,898]

To be clear, this is not another "The show sucks or why is not the show as good as it was" thread. This is a thread to discuss if members of this forum think the show has gone through "Seasonal Rot". Seasonal Rot is a term used for shows that have many, many seasons and over time the show starts to degrade in quality due to the length of the show running. A good example of this would be The Simpsons or Spongebob Squarepants. In my honest opinion, I don't think the show has gone through it just yet. The show still retains its charm even if the writers are different from the earlier seasons; but if the show were to say go on for another few seasons, I could most definitely see the show experience some sort of Seasonal Rot.

Anyways, let's hear everyone's opinion on the matter. Just a reminder to respect everyone's opinion on the matter and not to go too overboard with arguing and insulting each other since I will be watching.

[The Kaeya Simp 13,953]

Personally I don't think The Show's experienced seasonal rot, 
Sure some episodes aren't as good as others but not full seasons

[Pucksterv 4,507]

I don't think the quality has gone down but a lot of things have changed since the first seasons so I understand why some people would like the show less these days.
I still really like the show however ^w^ Despite the new characters that were suddenly throw in, I really enjoy the current season

Edited August 9, 2018 by Pucksterv

[SDP40F amtrak 2,441]

1 minute ago, Sherbert Music-Guard said:

Personally I don't think The Show's experienced seasonal rot, 
Sure some episodes aren't as good as others but not full seasons

I agree with him  

No season is better than other seasons

[Tacodidra 59,767]

Season 8 is not my personal favorite of all the seasons (and not my least favorite either), but I think the show has kept its high quality over the years. I still enjoy it as much as I did when I started watching last year. There are many new elements in the show that have kept it fresh (such as new characters like Starlight and the Student 6), and I have generally enjoyed the new writers' contributions to the show. At this rate, I feel the show still has potential for a few more seasons.

[Props Valroa 25,967]

Yes, it most certainly has in my view. I think it should end right now, or as soon as possible.

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

Part of the reason is the iterative nature of a series with no clear purpose or goal, having the show resolved most characters in a somehow anticlimactic manner.

So, what's the point now? To introduce yet another plot device, such as the cutie map, in the form a friendship academy. I'm not entirely aware, but I think it'd be better had they concluded this generation earlier, with stronger emphasis on the resolution of each story and their impact on the world. But, there's always potentials.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

Honestly; I really don't think so, and I think a lot of that is down to have a new team of writers with fresh ideas; as well as having a new pot of characters to play with; like Starlight and the Student Six. I remember when this question really came up back during the days of season 6. Granted, that season had it's strong episodes and was arguable the season that Spike finally broke out, but it felt like the season was mostly meh. Had that general quality of writing (sans Spike) carried over into season seven then I would say the season rot had occurred, but...that didn't happen. Season 7 remains my favorite of the series, and season 8 has so far had a consistent level of quality writing.

So yeah; no season rot.

[Vertigo_95 572]

I really don't think I'm in any position to say so or not, as I have yet to finish Season 7.With that being a factor though, I'm gonna say it has a bit, since it's not catching me as it once did.

[Maslovitz 122]

MLP sure has changed over the years and nowadays episodes seem to have a bit different vibe compared to first three seasons imo. I wouldn't say it's a bad change though, I still really enjoy show's humor and there aren't too many episodes I particularly dislike, hopefully it'll stay this way

Edited August 9, 2018 by Buttaflight

[Jedishy 3,542]

I do not think that it has. I like all the seasons so far. Some episodes are better than others but there is always an excitement to each season. Sometimes I think people demand too much from things that they themselves could not do. Its easy to bellyache from the sidelines but much harder to show that you could do better. So rather than enjoy stuff for what it is they grouse and call for it to end. Rather an I do not like it so nopony else should get to see it sort of attitude if you ask me. 

[Sparklefan1234 161,600]

In my opinion, MLP:FiM has experienced seasonal rot.

There is only so much you can do with a show like this & when it starts to repeat itself you know its gone on for too long.

[FirePuppy 621]

Season 8 would have been a LOT better if the Student Six had any roles in Pinkie and Fluttershy episodes.

Season 9 will definitely have to cover for that, since the Student Six still have a lot to learn anyways even after the Season 8 finale.

[Will Guide 21,325]

14 minutes ago, Starlightglimmerfan19 said:

I agree with you  The last thing we want is for mlp to become like spongebob and the Simpsons. And its pretty clear there running out of ideas to do  so I think it’s best just to end the show before it becomes stale.

They ARE trying new things so no, this show hasn't gone through Seasonal Rot.

[Dark Qiviut 22,160]

If this question was asked after season 6, the answer would be a lot less clear. But today, I argue otherwise by firmly saying no, it hasn't. Even to this day, it still pumps up not just really good episodes, but great ones, too. The Hearth's Warming Club from last week is one of the best of the entire series.

In past seasons, there were many episodes that were really bad, especially season 6. However, since season 6, the quantity of bad episodes has declined sharply: five last year and only two so far this year. The overall consistency of good quality this season is currently in the middle of is the highest since the show began.

[gingerninja666 487]

I'll just add my two cents to this.

 

I actually think that when the show focuses on it's newer characters, it produces a lot of it's more interesting episodes. I like Ember. I like Thorax. I like Starlight. I like the Student 6. Very generally speaking, when the show focuses on these characters, it does well. The Hearthswarming Club is one of my favourite episodes. It gave me this massive, heartwarming feeling in my chest, and it did so mostly with entirely new character. So it's not a case of the show not having any ideas. It's just that the show seemingly needs to keep the mane 6 as the main characters.  Real talk, in a show like this with very firmly stated morals at the end of most episodes, where there's an implication that the cast should learn from each and every one of them, if you actually had the cast remember every moral all the time, the cast would quickly become flawless paragons of virtue. They can't be that AND the main characters of a show like this.

If MLP has a problem it's that. It's having a moral based show with a mane cast who need to both learn lessons and remain flawed so they can learn more lessons. And it's why I'm ok with the show ending soon or else shifting the cast into a bit of a smaller role. But until then I think there's enough standout moments from the cast still, and the new stuff is where a lot of the more interesting developments lie. So it's still very enjoyable to me.

Edited August 9, 2018 by gingerninja666

[Will Guide 21,325]

7 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

If this question was asked after season 6, the answer would be a lot less clear. But today, I argue otherwise by firmly saying no, it hasn't. Even to this day, it still pumps up not just really good episodes, but great ones, too. The Hearth's Warming Club from last week is one of the best of the entire series.

In past seasons, there were many episodes that were really bad, especially season 6. However, since season 6, the quantity of bad episodes has declined sharply: five last year and only two so far this year. The overall consistency of good quality this season is currently in the middle of is the highest since the show began.

You do know an Episodes' quality is actually subjective, based on the individual person who watches it, right? What's a bad episode to one person is a good episode to another.

See my point?

[Megas 27,048]

I dunno, Season 6 I definitely would have said yes, but then Season 7 came out and showed the show had a lot left in it. However Season 8 came and while I don’t think it’s as bad as S6, it suffers from some of the same problems(namely episodes live and die by their writers) and has felt underwhelming as a result 

[Jordan D 149]

I don't think so, no. The show has always been mixing up the status quo since season 3. Even though I prefer the older episodes, the new episodes are still fresh and fun. I love the new characters, the new settings, the new storylines. Even though I think they fail to capture the same sense of wonder season 1 had, they replace it with lots of new concepts that add their own charm. 

That said, I do think some parts of the show aren't as good as they used to be. Discord isn't as fun (even though I never really found him very fun to begin with, outside of the comics), and a few character dynamics don't really pack the same punch as they used too. I also preferred how world-building was handled in the first few seasons, when everyone just knew about basic concepts that were explained naturally through actions and events, rather than spoon-fed but otherwise I think the show is still fun.

[DonMaguz 1,023]

I don't think FiM has entered seasonal rot. There is clearly a bigger struggle to explore new ideas than before (S4-S5), but I think that the introduction of new characters and wider use of secondary ones has lead to new perspectives on similar issues and new relationships to explore.

I think there's still some terrain to cover before the show's quality declines for good, but I also think it has started to become seriously difficult to deliver top tier episodes.

[BastementSparkle 20,310]

No, I wouldn't say it has at all. Personally, my favorite seasons in the show are 5 and 7. Season 8 so far to me, has been pretty darn good too, and overall I like Season 6. I have seasons I like more than others, but as of yet there hasn't been one I actually dislike. So, actually I'd argue the show's general quality has gone up over time, rather than down, though the new seasons certainly do have a somewhat different feeling to them than the earlier ones.

 So, no. I don't think the show's really run into any real seasonal rot, obviously some people are going to disagree with me and that's fine, but it doesn't seem like a situation where a large majority can agree the show's gone downhill either.

[Goat-kun 2,496]

Seasonal stagnation. Same old, same old. Mane 6 are going from one boring-ass job to another, the pile of nearly-almost-important-but-not-quite characters is getting stupendously high and the time ain't stretching, and the world has remained small, simple, inconsistent yet predictable due to narrative > all so it ain't worth telling stories about it. In fact it's gotten even smaller due to new additions to canon.

 

I don't even want to see Grogar cause he looks way better in my mind. Do we need a comically evil old warlock who wants to destroy everything cause reasons? It should have ended with S08. We only need the art style. Our glorious writers are an unnecessary nuisance. They don't add value to the product. Not anymore.

[Thrond 3,257]

I remember around season 5, my main complaint was that the show was getting too bloated by moralistic nonsense instead of actually providing a fresh angle for the established characters; I feel like there's a better balance nowadays, but a lot of the newer writers don't seem to have a good sense for how the mane six - that is, the characters I come to this show for - should be handled. I've liked plenty of mane six episodes recently, but a lot of the best ones feel like they're making up for ground that the show really should have covered by now, and although the show is finally making some effort to have the mane six reveal new depths or experience new things, I'm starting to feel like the cases where it's handled well are less common than those where it's handled poorly. Maybe the new writers just aren't that interested in these characters, but if that's the case, they should not be working on this show. 

But in truth, I feel like a lot of the problem is a change in priorities rather than slow decline and stagnation. The show has become more focused on worldbuilding, and its moralizing has become more ambitious, which I feel has led to a show where character sometimes takes a backseat. I don't think the show's worldbuilding is very imaginative, and I don't think it's very competent in delivering relatively mature morals, so although these shifts have made some of my favourite episodes possible, I struggle to consider them a net positive. I feel there's plenty of interesting new stories to be told about these characters, but they don't seem like the stories the current crew wants to tell. 

[Here No Longer 5,270]

Not at all. I could tell it was doing so around Season 3, but it slowed down a lot since then. I think it's honestly a bit difficult to argue it has with gems like "Grannies Gone Wild" (the name of that still makes me laugh) and "The Mean Six" coming out during the most recent season. Not to mention, with some of the poorly done episodes in earlier seasons ("Mysterious Mare Do Well", "The Showstoppers", "Magical Mystery Cure"), I also believe it to be difficult to argue that the show didn't have its share of subpar episodes then. 

 

[Misty Shadow 7,060]

Asking that question to me back when Season 3 was still airing would've left me with mixed feelings. I still felt the general quality of the show was good, but I was not enjoying it as much for personal reasons. However, ever since Season 4 has been airing, my response to a question like that has always been a definite no. If anything, I think the show has gotten a lot better, that the new characters and new things that have been added to the world have made it a lot more interesting. It's not even just the show, it's the innovations that have been made to its universe and to the franchise as a whole that make it very difficult for me to go back to the 'glory days' of Seasons 1 and 2, back when so much had yet to evolve, and go, "...Eeeyup. It was all downhill from here.".